Mr. Hovey to Mr. Seward.
Sir: I have the honor to inform you that I solicited and obtained an interview with his excellency the President of Peru, on the 7th instant, for the purpose of acquainting him with the contents of your circular, dated the 27th of March last, instructing me to propose, in the proper quarter, that this government should consent to a formal armistice; and, following this, to suggest the idea of a congress of plenipotentiaries, from Spain and these allied republics, to be held at Washington, to arrange a definitive peace.
The President accepted, on the part of Peru, the propositions contained in your dispatch, saying that war was no longer desired by his country since the victory obtained over the Spaniards on the 2d of May, 1866, had avenged the wrongs suffered by Peru; that an indefinite truce would be mere weakness, but that your propositions would lead to peace, now greatly coveted by this republic. He added many expressions of his gratitude in regard to the generous interest always manifested by the United States for Peru.
The minister of foreign affairs, who was present at the interview, informed me that, by order of the President, he was already holding conferences with the representatives of Chili, Bolivia, and Ecuador, resident in Lima, for the purpose of jointly accepting the propositions contained in your circular, and that he would speedily acquaint me, in writing, of the result of the deliberations.
I may mention that Ecuador has a plenipotentiary here now, with special instructions to bring about peace on the terms proposed by the United States.
I have the honor to be your obedient servant,
Hon. William H. Seward, Secretary of State, Washington, D. C.